The Malawi National Football Team, the Flames, have missed the opportunity to participate in the 2025 Mapinduzi Cup currently underway in Zanzibar due to logistical challenges, Times Sport has learnt.
The invitation for the Flames to participate in the tournament came through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Youth and Sports to the Football Association of Malawi (Fam).
Malawi was supposed to take part in the Four-Nation Tournament as a guest nation, which is scheduled to end this Sunday.
Times Sport has established that the government informed the association that there were no funds for the trip.
Director of Sports in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Jameson Ndalama, claimed that Fam showed no interest in participating in the event.
“The issue of funds was supposed to be discussed after confirming participation. However, we received no written feedback from Fam on the matter,” Ndalama said.
On his part, Fam General Secretary Alfred Gunda invitation for the tournament. confirmed receiving the
“The Mapinduzi tournament invite was extended to Malawi via Foreign Affairs as a bilateral initiative. The government was to commit to financing, as Fam was invited through the government as part of a bilateral arrangement,” Gunda said.
Following the Flames’ withdrawal, organisers opted for Burkina Faso.
Return air tickets for around 35 people could cost less than K50 million.
Details indicate that the Zanzibar government pledged to cover the bills for the Malawi delegation during their stay in Zanzibar, including transport from Tanzania.
However, Gunda said it was difficult for the association to mobilise funds for the trip.
“We were alerted to the invitation and noted there was a requirement that participating teams cover travel costs. Unfortunately, the invitation coincided with the festive break, making it challenging to gather the necessary support for participation,” Gunda said.
This could be a missed opportunity for the Flames to fine-tune their preparations ahead of the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Namibia in March.
Sports analyst George Kaudza-Masina said the government was justified in not funding the trip.
“This might be viewed as a lost opportunity for the Flames. But, on the other hand, it may not have been fair to the players, who are in the off-season and deserve proper rest,” he said.
The Mapinduzi Cup was created by the Zanzibar Football Federation to commemorate Zanzibar’s Revolution Day, which falls on January 12 annually.
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